February 21, 2004 - Though a term more associated with Catholicism, “The Passion of Christ” has entered into the consciousness of the mainstream due to the new Mel Gibson movie focusing on Jesus. This commentary is not about Gibson or that movie. Though it is of note that most American Christians are excited about the movie and are staunch defenders of Gibson insofar as the troubles he encountered in bringing the film to the public. They are defenders in spite of the fact that Gibson is a member of a “sect” of Catholicism that is ultra-conservative to the point of resembling Opus Dei (of which we at Antipas have written about).

My comments today are instead about what Christ means to the American Church and the contradiction this meaning has to who He really is. America and American Christians consider themselves blessed of Christ due to their great wealth and power in this world. This equating of worldly success to godliness has created a situation where American Christianity is rife with careerism, the lust for the good life, and the tendency to judge others (even their spirituality) by how successful or unsuccessful they are at their endeavors in the here and now.

The most esteemed in the Church are always those who “have their act together” and are “on the fast-track” insofar as their careers are concerned. Go to most any Church within the US and what you’ll find in the parking lot will resemble a high-end car dealership… lots and lots of late model to new SUV’s and other plush rides. Most Christians are extremely dedicated to getting the right house in the right neighborhood with a properly manicured lawn and furnishings that convey comfort and success without giving the air of ostentation.

Jesus, to these people, is a wonderful guy, who is there to bless them (as evidenced by their success) due to their upstanding walk with him. Even in these tough economic times, when many are out of work or seeing their real incomes reduced, the attitude among Christians is that God will take care of them and preserve their treasures as long as they “tow the line”.

In this type of faith people have become slaves to this world and their quest to find success in it. America, as the defender and “creator” of their success, is the glue that holds it all together. To question the motives of Christian leaders (political or spiritual) who assure them that wars must be fought and freedoms restricted to rid the world of evil on behalf of God is not even an option. To do so would place one’s piece of the pie at risk. By equating wealth and power with righteousness they have been led to believe that it is their (America’s) mandate from God Himself to fight the forces of evil in this world in order to preserve the American way of life.

Sadly, most have no heart to question those who say and do such thing. God implies in His word that people who continue headlong in the pursuit of their own lusts will eventually be given over to them. This is what has happened to the American Church and it is what makes America such a dangerous place. Rather than being greedy and leaving it at that, the American Church has instead perverted the life and the gospel of the Carpenter of Nazareth to justify their own godless desires. This is about as good of a definition of apostasy as one will find. Additionally, make no mistake in thinking that finding success in your career, having that new car, or the perfect house have anything to do with Jesus Christ. These objectives (no matter how altruistic a light they are painted in) are of the flesh and of the world.

Yet to most Christians these are the things upon which their “passion for Christ” is centered and it is through these things that they rank each other’s standing in the Church and in life. How devoid of true Christianity this mindset and belief-system truly is. The basic premise of Christianity has been turned on its ear.

According to the Bible, Christ came to deliver us from the things of this world, not to give us a life of comfort and security in it. He came to minister to the poor and the dispossessed, not to provide a covering for the pursuit of wealth. He died so that we might be cleansed of our sins and become citizens of His heavenly Kingdom, not so that we could become masters of a world that is not even supposed to be our home. http://www.isrp.org/